Pontiac Christian School raises funds at restaurant

Wednesday

Dec 12, 2012 at 11:58 AMDec 12, 2012 at 12:11 PM

Luke Smucker

The Pontiac McDonald’s restaurant at 960 W. Reynolds St. played host to the Pontiac Christian School fundraiser known as “McTeachers' Night” from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. The fundraiser was both a first for the school and for the restaurant, where school staff were tasked with the jobs of operating a cash register, making food, serving beverages and desserts and cleaning up the dining area.“When we first arrived here to work at Pontiac Christian School, three years ago, we asked the Pontiac McDonald’s if they had ever had McTeachers’ Night and they said they’d really never had one here,” said Principal Bud Williams. “They weren’t really familiar with it, but when we called the main office in Peoria this year, they suggested this and we’ve had a good time getting things ready.”The original idea Williams had was to see if McDonalds had any rewards that the restaurant could offer their students. Williams said the McDonald’s main office in Peoria oversees about 17 McDonald’s establishments around the area including restaurants in Lexington, Chenoa and Dwight as well as Pontiac. The main office suggested the school host a McTeachers’ Night event. Williams said he has heard of events like this being held in Streator, but never at the McDonald’s in Pontiac.“McDonald’s has been very generous to let us help around the restaurant for three hours,” said Williams. “Our staff manned the registers, they cleaned, they helped people with their drinks and for our service, McDonalds will donate 20 percent of the income we receive at the main counter, during that time.”For teachers like Brittany Headrick who worked around the restaurant during the event, it was an eye-opening experience into what it’s like to work at a fast-food restaurant. While this was the first time Headrick had worked in a fast-food restaurant atmosphere, her past experience as a waitress for Monicals gave her a little bit of insight into what to expect from the experience.“With waitressing, there was always stuff to be doing,” said Headrick. “But here, there is always more to be doing. I really began to realize that while I was working at the cash register. There is so much more food choices for people. With pizza, it was just one thing with different toppings — it’s overwhelming.”Headrick and other teachers at the school jumped from one position to the next as business picked up. At one point Headrick was wiping down the tables. The next, she was putting fresh French fries into the deep fryer. Not too long after that, she was taking orders at the cash register. While working, the teachers were coached by McDonald’s staff members who not only offered direction, but also helpful advice.“I would say the hardest thing for me was working on the cash register,” said Headrick. “Even with the staff members there, it was a lot to remember. The second hardest job for me was probably fries. They were a little bit stressful because you had to dump them into the hot fryer.”For those that missed the event, Williams said it is definitely an event they hope to host again in the future. Williams didn’t offer when the next event would be, but he hinted that he had heard of schools hosting the event two times a year — both in the fall and in the spring. “I don’t think any of us knew what to expect, but it’s been really fun,” said Headrick. “If we decide to have another event like this, I would definitely be interested in participating. It was fun. I have more respect for McDonald’s workers now — they’re busy.”